Football blocking and tackling practice machine



P 1960 w. L. SCHUMACHER 2,934,343

FOOTBALL BLOCKING AND TACKLING PRACTICE MACHINE Filed March 13, 1958 INVENTOR.

WALTER L. SCHU/MC/IER ATTO RNEY Unit V Patented Apr. 26, 1960 ICC I FOOTBALL BLOCKING AND TACKLING PRACTICE MACHINE Walter L. Schumacher, Elk River, Minn. Application March 13, 1958, Serial No. 721,125

3 Claims. (Cl. 273-55) My invention relates to an improvement in a device used in football blocking and tackling practice.

It is an object of my invention to provide a device for supporting a football scrimmage-type dummy which provides the necessary dummy resistance and action necessary in various football practice drills.

It is also an object of my invention to provide new and novel means for supporting a srimmage-type dummy used in football practice. It is also an object to provide a device for football dummy practice, a number of which may be easily connected together in series and which allows players to pass on either side of the connected machines.

It is an additional object to provide a support for a scrimmage dummy which provides a human-like resistance. It is a still further object to provide a support fora scrimmage dummy which is mobile but which does not require a person to hold and support the dummy.

It is also an object to provide a support device which will support various types of scrimmage-type dummies securely and in correct position for efiicient use and protection to the player.

I shall not here attempt to set forth and indicate all of the various objects and advantages incident to my invention, but other objects and advantages will be referred to in or else will become apparent from that which follows.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with 'the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the drawings forming part of this application:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device with a figure in blocking position against the same.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal side view of my device.

Figure 3 is a rear end view thereof.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, my blocking and tackling device A includes the substantially horizontal elongated base member as part of a base unit. Secured to the outer free end of the base 10 is the transverse end member or balance skid 11. Further provided is the substantially vertical support member 12 which is channelshaped in cross section. The support 12 is secured at its lower end to the forward end of the substantially horizontal short base member 13, which together with the elongated base member 10 makes up the base unit. The short base member 13 has secured on each side of the forward end thereof the lugs 14 and 15 which extend beyond the end of the member 13 and form a hinge base. The short base member is hignedly connected to the rear end of the elongated base 10 by means of the nut-equipped bolt 16 which passes through aligned holes formed in the lugs 14 and 15 and in the collar 16' secured on the end of the base member 10.

ber 13. Secured to the top surface of the base member 13 is the plate 18 on which the dummy 19 is positioned. Also provided are the upper and lower braces 20 and 21 respectively which are secured to the vertical support member 12. The braces 20 and 21 are each formed with the end loops 22 and 23 respectively to which are attached the straps 24 and 25 respectively. The dummy 19 is placed upon the plate 18 and the straps 24 and 25 tightened about the same, and to further aid in positioning the dummy I provide the cross bar 26 which is secured to the top of the vertical support 12.

In addition, I provide the rod 27 the upper end of which is connected to the sleeve 28 which in turn is rotatably mounted on the nut-equipped bolt 29 secured through holes formed in the walls of the channel support member 12. The bolt 29 is spaced upwardly from the lower end of the support 12. The numeral 30 designates a support formed of the oblique arm portion 31 secured to the base member 10 and the oblique arm portion 32 extending therefrom and secured at the outer free end thereof to the base member 10. The angle of the oblique portion 31 is such that it is substantially at right angles to the rod 27 whereby the rod 27 may be moved through the hole 33 formed through the portion 31. The oblique arm portion 32 of the support 30 is so disposed that the end of the rod 27 may be extended outwardly from the arm portion 31 as a result of the movement of the support 12 hereinafter described.

Positioned on the rod 27 and against the oblique portion 31 of the support 30 is the washer 34, and positioned on the rod 27 between the washer 34 and the sleeve 28 is the coil spring 35 which urges the support 12 into the position of Figure 1 and that shown in full line in Figure 2. The vertical support 12 and the base members 10 and 13 are held in the full line position of Figure 2 by means of the cotter pin 36 positioned through a hole formed through the outer end of the rod 27. The backward position of the support 12 is limited by the rod 27, but the support 12 may be moved forwardly against the action of the spring 35 substantially to the broken line position of Figure 2.

The transverse balance skid member 11 has formed therethrough adjacent the ends thereof the holes 37. As a result of my construction any number of my practice devices A may be mounted together in side-by-side relationship by positioning a short piece of connecting pipe 38 leaving holes 39 formed therethrough in the ends of the member 11 of each unit and inserting a pin through the holes 37 and 39 of the connecting pipe pieces 38. It will be noted that where two or more of my units are connected together that a player may pass between the connected units.

It will be noted in using my device that as a player pushes against the dummy 19 the base 10 and the short base 13 tend to move toward the somewhat straight line position of Figure 2 shown in broken lines due to the hinging at the bolt 16, the movement being resiliently resisted to a measured degree by the spring 35. With increased pressure against the dummy, the hinging at the point of the bolt 16 may be increased and the dummy pushed further forward.

Further, the pressure applied to the dummy 19 causes the short base 13 and plate 18, and balance member 17 to move upwardly and forwardly, which in turn causes the vertical support 12 to move forwardly and act as a lever in compressing the coil spring 35. The compression of the spring 35 results in the long base member 10 being forced downwardly and forwardly, and as a result the base member 10 is made a lever on the transverse end skid member 11 which is pressed downwardly a 3 and forwardly. The sliding action of the end skid member may be retarded by attaching a resistance creating member to the under edge thereof at the point of contact with the ground.

By the continuous application of pressure by theplayer against the dummy the movement of the dummy will be forward and upward thereby producing a downward force on the skid 11 which results in the forward movement of the device and at the same time a human-like resistance is created by the constant pressure on the skid 11 because of the forced contact engagement with the ground. When pressure by the player against the dummy is lessened, the same action as above will result, only in reverse, thereby giving the machine and attached dummy a pushback movement toward the player.

The transverse skid member 11 may be formed with a rib 11' running longitudinally thereof on the lower ground-contacting surface, and the size and radii of the samedetermines the amount of resistance of the member 11 as it is moved over the ground.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for practicing football blocking and tackling, a single base member, a single short-base member hingedly connected to the rear end of said base mem ber, a skid member connected to the rear end of said short base member transversely thereof, an upright support member mounted on said short base member adjacent .said hinged connection, resilient means connecting said upright support member with said base member to normally bias each of said hingedly connected base members at an oblique angle to the surface on which the device rests, a skid member connected to the forward end of said first mentioned base member transversely thereof, and means for mounting a dummy on said short base member and adjacent said upright support.

2. In a device of the character described, a base member, a short base member hingedly connected to the rear end of said base member, an upright support connected to said short base member, means for mounting a dummy on said upright support and said short base member, a transverse skid member connected to the forward end of said base member, and resilient means connected to said upright support and said base member to normally bias said hinged base and said short base member at an oblique angle to the surface on which the device rests.

3. In a football blocking and tackling practice device, a single base member, a single short base member hingedly connected to the inner end of said base member, an upright member mounted on said short base member, means for securing a dummy to said upright member and on said short base member, a rod connected to said upright support and said base member, a coil spring mounted on said rod and interposed between the com nections of said rod with said base and said upright support and a skid member connected to the outer end of said base member transversely thereof to normally bias said base member and said short base member at an oblique angle to the surface on which the device rests.-

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,237,600 Gilman Apr. 8, 1941 2,558,081 Gardenhour June 26, .1951 2,653,816 Young et a1. Sept. 29, 1953 

